A total of 238 undocumented workers have been whipped under the 1959 Immigration Act (Amended) 2002 as of March 31 this year.

Home Affairs Parliamentary Secretary Abdul Rahman Ibrahim told the Dewan Rakyat today that this figure is aside from the 13,702 undocumented workers who have been charged and are currently serving time before being deported.

It contrasts with the situation of 150 Malaysian employers whose court cases are still pending.

Replying to points raised by Madius Tangau (BN-Tuaran) on the matter, Abdul Rahman said according to data provided for by the Immigration authorities, there are 1.83 million documented workers, adding that "no (documented) foreign worker or employer has been caned."

He said following the March 2005 amnesty, nearly 400,000 undocumented workers have returned to their respective countries.

Internal security problem

Meanwhile, Chor Chee Heung (BN-Alor Setar) alleged that there are about 700,000 undocumented workers in the country.

Combined with those documented, there are a total of 2.5 million foreign workers in the country, he claimed.

"If there are no mechanisms to control (their influx), we will be flooded with foreign workers, whether legal or illegal, and this will pose an internal security problem," said Chor.

In response, Abdul Rahman said that joint efforts between Immigration, civilian volunteers and the police have succeeded in mitigating the flow of illegals into the country.